


Steps Taken

by Styfas



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Gen, One Shot, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:21:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24853726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Styfas/pseuds/Styfas
Summary: Gary has been having a difficult time punching in and out at Ha-Ha's. Noticing this, Arthur makes a request of Hoyt. When his request is denied, Arthur decides to take matters into his own hands.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Steps Taken

**Author's Note:**

> On my 48th or so viewing of Joker, I noticed a step stool underneath the time clock at Ha-Ha's when Arthur "punches out" for the last time - and I didn't remember seeing it before that scene. As a matter of fact, that is the only time in the film that you'll see this step stool. 
> 
> So, I came up with this story of how that step stool ended up there.

Arthur stood outside Hoyt’s office door. It felt strange to be there of his own volition. Every other time he had been to Hoyt’s office in the past few months, he had been summoned there to be chewed out for one thing or another. He took a deep breath and knocked at the door.

Hoyt’s voice came from behind the closed door. “Yeah, what is it?”

Arthur cracked the door open and peeked in. “Hoyt? Do you have a minute?”

“Make it short.” Hoyt dropped his pen on the desk with a sigh. 

“Thanks.” Arthur walked in and closed the door behind him. “How are you today?”

“Busy. Get on with it.”

Arthur walked to Hoyt’s desk, shoved his hands in his pockets, and mustered up a close-mouthed smile.

“Well?” Hoyt said. “I don’t have all day.”

“Yeah, sorry. Uh… I was wondering… that is, I have a request.”

Hoyt smirked. “Oh, really.”

“Yeah. It’s about Gary.”

“What, are you two not getting along? If you’re not, I know it’s gotta be more about you than him. Act like adults and work it out.”

”No, It’s nothing like that.” Arthur cleared his throat. “Hoyt, I’ve noticed that Gary’s been having a hard time punching in and out.”

“I see his timecard. Looks to me like he’s getting it done just fine.”

“He’s not. He drags a chair from the big table over to the clock. And then he has to get up on the chair, and – “

“See? He’s punching in and out just fine. Arthur, I have work to do. Don’t waste my time.”

“But it’s getting harder for him, I can tell. I think his arthritis is getting worse.“

“So, be a Boy Scout and help him out.”

“No, Gary’s proud. I was thinking… maybe you could get him a step stool?”

“It’s not in my budget. You guys can all get together and stack up some books.”

“That might be dangerous.”

“Gimme a break. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? And Gary’s not big. If he falls, no big deal.”

“Hoyt!” 

“Look, if you feel so bad about it, why don’t you pick him up yourself and help him punch in? Now, I’ve got phone calls to make, and you’re already putting me behind schedule. Goodbye, Arthur.”

Arthur skulked out of the office. Just as he entered the makeup area, he saw Gary scraping a yellow chair across the floor towards the timeclock. 

“Let me help you with that,” Arthur said. “Or give me your card, and let me punch in for you?”

“Thanks,” Gary said, “but I’ve got this under control. I’ve been doing it this way for years. How do you think I’ve been able to keep my stunning physique?” he chuckled.

Arthur tried to smile, unsuccessfully. “Have you ever thought about asking Hoyt for a step stool?”

“I asked him last week.”

“You did?”

“You can guess what his answer was.”

Arthur shook his head.

“It’s all right,” Gary said. “As long as I get my timecard punched, it’s fine. Hoyt doesn’t care how it happens.” He got up on the chair with obvious effort and punched his card. “Done!” He slowly worked his way down and off the chair with several grunts, then pushed it back to the table under Arthur’s worried gaze.

On the bus ride home that night, Arthur decided he would get Gary a step stool himself. He’d need to find even more ways to cut back, since Hoyt was already taking money out his paycheck to pay for the Kenny’s Music Shop sign. He made a mental list: Cut back on the cigarettes, eat less, drink less coffee, stop buying cookies for his mother, cut back on the portion size of her oatmeal, and spread out the dosages of his medications so that he could make them last longer before needing refills. Maybe even take them every other day.

The next day, Arthur went to a hardware store and found that he simply wouldn’t be able to afford a new step stool. He tried various thrift shops until he finally found one, second-hand, at a reasonable price. He would still need to cut back financially, but it would be worth it to make things easier for Gary. 

The following morning, Arthur left for work forty-five minutes earlier than usual and took the stool with him. He arrived at Ha-Has half an hour before official opening time, and to his surprise, the door was open. He went up the steps to the work area, unfolded the step stool, and placed it directly under the time clock. Perfect.

Hearing footsteps coming from the direction of Hoyt’s office, Arthur hurried to his locker and opened it, pretending to rummage for his clown makeup.

Hoyt came into the work area. “Oh, it’s you. I wondered who was sneaking around out here. Thought it might have been a burglar.”

“Hello, Hoyt. Sorry I scared you.”

“What are doing here so early, anyway?”

Arthur thought fast. “I was tossing and turning all night. I finally got out of bed at about five o’clock, after maybe three hours’ sleep.” He feigned a yawn. “I had breakfast, and then I decided I’d come in early, read the paper, and have some more coffee.”

“You seem awfully energetic for someone who didn’t sleep all night.” Hoyt’s gaze went to the time clock. “What the Hell is that?”

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me. That step stool wasn’t here when I came in this morning. Did you bring that in just now?”

“Yeah,” Arthur said proudly. “I bought it for Gary.”

Hoyt squared his shoulders. “You decided to go behind my back, is that it?”

“How am I going behind your back if you weren’t going to get one anyway? You said it wasn’t in your budget. Besides, Gary mentioned to me that he asked you for one last week.”

“You talked to him about this?”

“No, it just came up in conversation,” Arthur said. “Gary was having a hard time punching in yesterday, and that’s when he told me.”

Hoyt furrowed his brow. “You’re saying Gary doesn’t know that you talked to me a couple of days ago.”

“That’s right. I didn’t say anything to him.”

“And that’s the way we’re going to keep it. Understand?

“What do you mean?”

“Listen to me,” Hoyt said. “I brought that thing in. I found it in storage in a back room last night when I was looking for something else. Got it?”

“But… you _didn’t_.“

“As far as you or anybody else is concerned, I did. Do I make myself clear?”

Arthur felt his diaphragm tightening. His shoulders shook as the first waves of involuntary laughter left his throat. Keeping his eyes on Hoyt, he shook his head and covered his mouth, hoping the moment would pass quickly. Instead, his laughter continued to intensify in pitch and volume.

Hoyt raised his gaze to the ceiling. “Oh, jeez. Here we go…”

“I’m sorry,” Arthur managed to say between laughs.

“When you’re finished, I want to see you in my office.” Hoyt stomped away.

Arthur released a loud series of laughs. He endured the episode, gasping for breath, and clutching at his throat, until the laughter finally subsided. With an exhausted sigh, he got up and trudged to Hoyt’s office. 

He knocked on the door. “Hoyt? Can I come in, please?”

The door swung open. Hoyt faced him, holding a folded paper in his hand.

“Arthur, I won’t have any employee trying to undermine me - and especially not you.”

“But I wasn’t trying to. I just wanted to help a friend.”

“You’d better keep quiet about what we talked about a few days ago. You’re gonna go with my story in case anybody asks about that step stool – or you’re gonna lose your job. End of discussion.”

Arthur opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it. He closed his mouth, swallowed hard, and nodded in defeat. 

Hoyt handed him the folded paper and spoke as if their previous conversations had never happened. “Here’s your job for today. It’s at the Children’s Hospital. Some singing and dancing. Just make the kids happy, okay? I hear you’re good at that. God knows why you are, but –“

“Thanks.” 

“And don’t fuck up.”

“Don’t worry, Hoyt. I won’t.”

Hoyt closed the door in his face.

Arthur shuffled though the hallway, shoulders slumped. He got a cup of coffee, went to his makeup table, turned the chair around to face the time clock, and sat down.

So many people were awful and rude. Like the time he made that little boy on the bus smile, until the boy’s mother yelled at him to stop bothering him. Or last week at the pharmacy, when that person cut in front of him without asking first if he was in line, when he so obviously was. Today, Hoyt made it to the top of Arthur’s list of awful people. If he ever got a better job so that he could leave Ha-Has, he’d be sure to tell Gary the truth. And then there wouldn’t be anything Hoyt could do about it. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Gary’s voice in the entrance hallway. 

“Hey, Arthur! You don’t usually come in so early.”

“I know. I couldn’t sleep.” Arthur kept his eyes on Gary, anxious to see his face when he reached the time clock. Hoyt may have robbed him of being able to tell the truth, but he couldn’t rob him of this moment. 

“You look happy to be here, ” Gary said.

“I am.”

Gary reached the doorway to the work area and glanced to his right, noticing the step stool. A grin spread across his face. “Oh! Will you look at this!”

Time to tell necessary lies. “Yeah. I saw it when I came in. Isn’t it great?”

“Wonderful,” Gary said, running his hand along the top steel bar of its frame.

“I figured it had to be for you, so I asked Hoyt about it. He said he found it last night in some back room when he was looking for something else. He didn’t even know he had it.”

“Well, God forbid he would actually buy one,” Gary said. “Oh, I’m not ungrateful. But if he hadn’t have found this, I’d still be dragging a chair back and forth.” 

Arthur smiled. “So, are you going to punch in?”

“I believe I shall!” Gary walked over to the timecard rack, grabbed his card from the bottom slot, and went back to the time clock. “Up I go!”

Arthur smiled the entire time as he watched. Gary easily managed the two steps up, putting him at the perfect height to get his card punched. With great ceremony, he punched his card and then came back down as easily as he had gone up. What did it matter if Gary didn’t know who had provided the step stool? The end result was the same. From now on, Gary was going to have a much easier time punching in and out, and Arthur was happy with that. 

Gary turned around, looked at Arthur, and laughed. “How I wish I had a camera, so you could see the look on your face right now. You’re smiling so hard, it’s as if you got this stepstool for me yourself!”

Arthur grinned even wider, knowing that finally he could say something truthful. 

“I do feel that way, Gary. I do.”


End file.
